Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin bombs Kyiv with drone swarm hours after Kremlin dismisses peace plan

Peace deal or not, this must be Europe’s next brave move to counter Russian aggression

The blacklisted businessman, the former film producer and the ex-soldier: Key players in Ukraine-Russia peace talks

Russia dashes Trump’s hope of quick peace deal in Ukraine after rejecting European proposal

Ukraine loses land, no Nato and Russia back in the G8: What is in Trump’s 28-point plan to end the war?

Key Points

• Four injured as Russian drones trigger fires in Kyiv apartment buildings
• Russia dashes Trump’s hope of quick peace deal in Ukraine after rejecting European proposal
• Zelensky wlecomes amendments from Europe on Trump's peace plan
• Some disagreements still on Trump’s peace plan, says White House
• Ukrainian drones strike Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk

US holds secret Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi – report

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Abu Dhabi for peace talks with Ukraine's military intelligence chief and a Russian delegation, the Financial Times reported.

Driscoll and the Russian side began talks on Monday night, the report said, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Three killed and 10 injured in Ukrainian attack on Russia's Rostov region

Three people were killed and 10 injured in a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Rostov region, governor Yuri Slyusar said this morning.

The Russian defence ministry said that 249 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russian regions overnight.

At least six people were injured in Russia's Krasnodar region as a result of a drone attack, governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

Peace deal or not, this must be Europe’s next brave move to counter Russian aggression

Europe is taking baby steps towards walking away from America and ending the Russian threat against its democracies. But the time has come to take giant leaps for mankind.

The first move is immediate Nato membership for Ukraine, for Georgia and for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The idea would probably be vetoed immediately by the US, along with Hungary and Slovakia, which are run by pro-Putin autocrats.

But a non-Nato, Nato-style alliance of the West would be a powerful entity that would give Putin pause for thought if it acted together and with the sort of confidence the Kremlin has shown on the world stage.

From Vladimir Putin down, Russians believe in their deepest core that “the West” is their enemy.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley says there is a powerful alternative:

Peace deal or not, this must be Europe’s next move to counter Russian aggression

Who are the key players in Ukraine-Russia peace talks?

President Donald Trump has claimed that “big progress” is being made in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The US and Ukraine sought on Monday to narrow gaps in a peace plan proposed by Washington on Friday that was criticised as pro-Russian. European leaders have responded with a counter-proposal that reasserts Ukraine’s demands.

It includes respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, freedom to advance its Nato ambitions and EU membership aspirations and maintain a large military to deter the threat of future Russian aggression.

Several countries and high-profile individuals are involved in the discussions, which have resulted in public disagreements.

The Independent looks at some of the key characters below:

From blacklisted businessman to ex-film producer: Key players in Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian officials make significant changes to US peace plan

Ukrainian officials have made significant amendments to a US peace plan that was previously criticised as being too close to Moscow’s demands, people aware of the negotiations in Geneva yesterday said.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s representatives removed some of Russia’s maximalist demands from what was a 28-point plan, officials were quoted by the Guardian as saying.

The negotiations were led by the US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak. They now include only 19 points, multiple media outlets reported.

Russia dashes Trump’s hope of quick peace deal in Ukraine after rejecting European proposal

Hopes of reaching a breakthrough in the war with Russia this week were quashed on Monday after a European proposal discussed by the United States and Ukraine was described by Moscow as “completely unconstructive”.

Washington and Kyiv said in a joint statement they had drafted a “refined peace framework” after talks in Geneva on Sunday. Although there were no specifics, the dialogue received a cautious welcome from some of Ukraine's allies.

However, the Kremlin said that the European counterproposal to a 28-point US peace plan for Ukraine was not helpful.

"The European plan, at first glance ... is completely unconstructive and does not work for us," Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow.

Russia dashes Trump’s hope of quick peace deal after rejecting European proposal

Zelensky says sensitive issues to be discussed with Trump

Volodymyr Zelensky has said a proposed peace plan now under discussion with the United States and Europe has incorporated "correct" points, but sensitive issues were to be discussed with US president Donald Trump.

"As of now, after (talks in) Geneva, there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

"Our team has already reported today on the new draft of steps and this is truly the right approach. The sensitive issues, the most delicate points, I will discuss with President Trump,” he said.

Zelensky said the process of producing a final document would be difficult and Ukraine appreciated the assistance offered by other countries and the "constructive" US approach.

He said it was in Russia's interests to disrupt the peace process and warned Ukrainians to pay particular attention to air raid alerts in the days and weeks to come "as we fully understand who we are dealing with".

Zelensky said that if negotiations proceeded on resolving the war "there must be no missiles, no massive strikes on Ukraine and our people. This is something that those who are strong in the world can ensure.”

Watch: Zelensky says Ukraine peace deal has fewer than 28 points after Geneva talks

Zelensky wlecomes amendments from Europe on Trump's peace plan

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reacted positively to the changes proposed by his European allies to the contentious 28-point peace plan being pushed by Donald Trump.

Washington's 28-point plan presented last week caused alarm by heavily aligning with Moscow's demands in the nearly four-year war caused by its invasion.

The plan pressed Ukraine to hand over some territory to Russia and reduce its army. It also sought Europe's agreement that Ukraine will never be admitted into the Nato military alliance.

The proposed European changes included advocating for EU membership for Kyiv, saying Ukraine’s Nato membership is up to the alliance, and forcing no territorial concessions on Ukraine.

The European allies said any ceasefire should be along the current line of contact, there should be no cap on the Ukrainian military and the cost of reconstruction in war-ravaged Ukraine should be covered by Russia.

“Now the list of necessary steps to end the war can become doable..." Zelensky said on Telegram. "Many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework,” he said.

Today our delegation returned from Geneva after negotiations with the American side and European partners. Now the list of necessary steps to end the war can become doable. As of now, after Geneva, there are fewer points – no longer 28 – and many of the right elements have been… pic.twitter.com/bsaKyNXHQH

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 24, 2025

Some disagreements still on Trump’s peace plan, says White House

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said there were a couple of points of disagreement remaining on the peace plan but said "we're confident that we'll be able to work through those”.

She said US president Donald Trump wanted a deal as quickly as possible, answering a question on whether he stands by his deadline for Ukraine on Thursday to reach a deal.

“There is a sense of urgency. The president wants to see this deal come together, and to see this war end,” she told reporters outside the White House yesterday.

Leavitt said Trump has been putting pressure on both leaders, however added that there is no meeting scheduled between the US president and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky this week.

Four injured as Ukrainian drones strike Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk

At least four people were injured in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, officials said.

The Operational Headquarters in southern Krasnodar Region said on Telegram that five high-rise residences and two private homes had sustained damage in different districts of the city.

Falling debris from drones had triggered fires at two sites and emergency services were bringing them under control.

Earlier, fragments from downed drones had smashed windows and damaged buildings in Krasnodar, the region's administrative centre. Drones also damaged buildings and injured one person in a village south of Novorossiysk.

Russian air defences had earlier shot down 10 drones en route to Moscow, the defence ministry said, a day after a Ukrainian strike on a power plant cut off heating in a town near the capital.

Russian drones trigger fires in Kyiv apartment buildings

Russian drones swarmed the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours today, striking and triggering fires in at least two residential buildings, officials said.

Officials said four people were injured. Air defence units were in action around the capital.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said on Telegram that a high-rise residential building had been hit in a district on the east bank of the Dnipro River.

He said four people had been treated for injuries and at least eight rescued from the building. Pictures posted on unofficial Telegram channels showed apartments on fire on upper floors.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a high-rise building was being evacuated after being hit in the Pechersk district in the city centre. Pictures posted on unofficial channels showed parts of a building ablaze.

Unofficial channels reported that drone fragments had also fallen in an open area in an eastern district of the city.

Klitschko also reported disruptions to the city's power and water supplies.

Russian air defences halt fresh drone attack on Moscow

Russian air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting Moscow and surrounding regions on Monday, just a day after a Ukrainian strike on a power station left thousands without heating outside the capital.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that eight drones were shot down en route to the city, with emergency services deployed to the sites.

This followed an earlier statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, which claimed ten Ukrainian drones had been downed across three regions – Moscow, Kaluga, and Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The Monday attacks occurred in the wake of a Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday against the Shatura Power Station, located approximately 120 km (75 miles) east of Moscow.

This assault resulted in heating being cut off for thousands of residents in the town of some 33,000 people, where temperatures were near freezing.

Russian air defences halt fresh drone attack on Moscow

EU vows to keep supporting Ukraine with cash and weapons as peace talks continue

European Council president Antonio Costa pledged on Monday that the European Union will keep on supporting Ukraine, as he hailed "new momentum" in peace negotiations to end the war triggered by Russia's invasion.

"The European Union is committed to continue providing president Zelenskiy with all the support he needs - diplomatic support, military support, economic support," he told reporters in the Angolan capital Luanda, after chairing a meeting of EU leaders on Ukraine on the sidelines of a summit with the African Union.

"This concerns in particular, financial support to Ukraine," Costa added, recalling that EU leaders agreed last month to cover Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years.

"We committed to deliver ... and we will deliver at the December European Council," he said.

Russian power plant reopens after major strike by Kyiv

A heating and power plant in Russia's Moscow region has resumed operations after shutting down due to a fire caused by a Ukrainian drone strike, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov says.

The attack on the facility in Shatura, a town of about 33,000, cut heating for residents. It marked one of Kyiv's most significant strikes to date on a power station deep inside Russia.

Russia has been pummelling Ukraine's electricity and heat infrastructure, while Kyiv has until now mostly focused on trying to knock out Russia's oil refineries, crude terminals and pipelines.

Ukraine looking for compromises that will 'strengthen not weaken' it, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined his expectations for Ukraine as negotiations appear to advance ahead of EU talks on a peace deal with Russia on Monday.

“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us,” he said.

He added that the use of frozen Russian assets was crucial to talks and accountability was necessary.

“Right now, we are at a critical moment,” he said.

“There is a lot of noise in the media, and all the political pressure, and even greater responsibility for the decisions ahead.”

Trump’s Ukraine peace plan will make it a ‘juicy target’

Ukraine will be reduced to Russia’s “tethered goat” if a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump is implemented, according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Alex Younger said the US president’s proposal was "lopsided" in favour of Russia and would "almost guarantee" another invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.

The 28-point proposal would see Kyiv give up land while compensating the US for upholding peace. It would also see a formal end to Ukraine’s ambitions to join Nato and the European Union.

US peace plan will make Ukraine a ‘juicy target’ for new invasion, says ex-MI6 chief

Draft includes correct points but I need to talk to Trump, says Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says a proposed peace plan under discussion with the United States and Europe has incorporated "correct" points, but sensitive issues were to be discussed with US president Donald Trump.

"As of now, after (talks in) Geneva, there are fewer points, no longer 28, and many correct elements have been incorporated into this framework," President Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

"Our team has already reported today on the new draft of steps and this is truly the right approach. The sensitive issues, the most delicate points, I will discuss with President Trump."

'Only a couple of points of dispute' after US and Kyiv talks

The United States and Ukraine have had productive talks on a potential deal to end Russia's war in the country, the White House Press Secretary says, adding that there remained just "a couple of points of disagreement".

US President Donald Trump is optimistic a deal can be struck to end the war, said Karoline Leavitt.

UK PM Starmer says more work needed for 'just and lasting peace' in Ukraine

British prime minister Keir Starmer said on Monday there was more work to do to establish a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine, but progress was being made.

Starmer said a group of countries supporting Ukraine, known as the coalition of the willing, would discuss the progress being during a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

"Everybody is absolutely focused on what we need to get out of this, and that is a just and lasting peace," Starmer told broadcasters.

He added that matters for Ukraine should be determined by Ukraine.

"So progress, yes, more work to do," Starmer said.

Key players in Ukraine-Russia peace talks

President Donald Trump has claimed that “big progress” is being made in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The US and Ukraine sought on Monday to narrow gaps in a peace plan proposed by Washington on Friday that was criticised as pro-Russian. European leaders have responded with a counter-proposal that reasserts Ukraine’s demands.

It includes respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, freedom to advance its Nato ambitions and EU membership aspirations and maintain a large military to deter the threat of future Russian aggression.

Several countries and high-profile individuals are involved in the discussions, which have resulted in public disagreements. The Independent looks at some of the key characters:

From blacklisted businessman to ex-film producer: Key players in Ukraine peace talks

Daughter of ex-South African leader Zuma accused of luring men to fight in Ukraine

South African police say they are investigating allegations that former President Jacob Zuma 's daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla lured 17 men who are now trapped in Russia into fighting in that country's war with Ukraine without their consent.

According to police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, an affidavit filed by Zuma-Sambudla's sister Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube alleges that Zuma-Sambudla and two other people lured the men by claiming they would receive security training in Russia.

Details about the two others were not immediately clear.

The affidavit alleges they were handed over to a Russian mercenary group and forced to fight in the war. It also says eight of the 17 men were members of the sisters' family.

Mathe said Sunday that any police charges “are still to be determined through a thorough investigation.”

Daughter of ex-South African leader Zuma is accused of luring men to fight in Russia-Ukraine war

Russian air defences halt fresh drone attack on Moscow

Russian air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting Moscow and surrounding regions on Monday, just a day after a Ukrainian strike on a power station left thousands without heating outside the capital.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that eight drones were shot down en route to the city, with emergency services deployed to the sites.

This followed an earlier statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, which claimed ten Ukrainian drones had been downed across three regions – Moscow, Kaluga, and Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

Russian air defences halt fresh drone attack on Moscow

UK urges Putin to attend talks

Yvette Cooper has urged Russia to now come to the table as she welcomed progress in the peace talks.

The UK’s foreign secretary said: "This morning I co-chaired a meeting with European foreign ministers and with the Ukrainian foreign minister, and we reaffirmed our support for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, that upholds Ukraine's sovereignty and also protects Europe's security.

"That is why this work is so important and why the intensive work is still ongoing."

She added: "Of course, there is a lot more work still to do but the key thing is that Russia now needs to come to the table, to stop the bombardment of Ukraine as we saw again last night.

"We need that just and lasting peace for the people of Ukraine."

Trump’s Ukraine peace plan will make it a ‘juicy target’ for a fresh invasion by Russia, says ex-MI6 chief

Ukraine will be reduced to Russia’s “tethered goat” if a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump is implemented, according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Alex Younger said the US president’s proposal was "lopsided" in favour of Russia and would "almost guarantee" another invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.

The 28-point proposal would see Kyiv give up land while compensating the US for upholding peace. It would also see a formal end to Ukraine’s ambitions to join Nato and the European Union.

In addition, European allies would agree not to station troops in the country, and limits would be placed on Ukraine’s military capabilities, according to the deal.

US peace plan will make Ukraine a ‘juicy target’ for new invasion, says ex-MI6 chief

Comment: Peace deal or not, this must be Europe’s next brave move to counter Russian aggression

Europe is taking baby steps towards walking away from America and ending the Russian threat against its democracies. But the time has come to take giant leaps for mankind.

The first move is immediate Nato membership for Ukraine, for Georgia and for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The idea would probably be vetoed immediately by the US, along with Hungary and Slovenia which are run by pro-Putin autocrats.

But a non-Nato, Nato-style alliance of the West would be a powerful entity that would give Putin pause for thought if it acted together and with the sort of confidence the Kremlin has shown on the world stage.

Peace deal or not, this must be Europe’s next move to counter Russian aggression

European officials welcome progress in talks on US proposals to end Russia-Ukraine war

European officials said Monday they were comforted by the outcome of discussions on U.S. peace proposals for Ukraine that they had viewed as tilted in Russia's favor, but they didn’t disclose details of the weekend talks and warned of a long road to peace.

“The negotiations were a step forward, but there are still major issues which remain to be resolved,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on social platform X about Sunday’s meeting in Switzerland between U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

European officials welcome progress in talks on US proposals to end Russia-Ukraine war

Reform breaks silence on ‘treacherous’ Nathan Gill over taking Russia bribes

A key ally of Nigel Farage has broken Reform UK’s silence on its former party leader in Wales who was jailed last week for taking bribes from Russia.

Zia Yusuf, the party’s former chair and key member of Reform’s leadership, claimed that it was “unreasonable” to link Gill’s crime with the softer stance that the party and Mr Farage have taken on Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its criticism of the Ukraine war.

Mr Yusuf described Gill as “treasonous, horrific, awful” in an interview with Sir Trevor Phillips on his Sunday morning political show on Sky News.

Reform breaks silence on ‘treacherous’ Nathan Gill over taking Russia bribes

Xi urges all parties to 'reduce differences' in call with Trump

Xi Jinping urged “all parties to reduce [their] differences” during a call with US president Donald Trump today.

A White House official confirmed the Chinese president had spoken with Trump by phone.

'We are making progress' says Starmer as he calls for 'just' and 'lasting' peace

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has outlined the UK’s priorities when supporting a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

“Talks in Geneva are ongoing, and we are making progress, and that is a good thing,” he said on Monday.

“Everybody is absolutely focused on what we need to get out of this, and that is a just and lasting peace.

“Both of those words matter. It's got to be just, and obviously matters for Ukraine have to be determined by Ukraine, but it's also got to be lasting, and it's got to endure.

“So that's the focus. There’s more work to do.”

He added that a “coalition of the willing” would meet virtually on Tuesday, led by Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Kremlin says European counter-proposal for Ukraine peace does not work for Russia

The Kremlin on Monday said that a European counter-proposal to a US 28-point peace plan for Ukraine was not constructive and that it simply did not work for Moscow.

The publication of the 28-point draft US peace plan last week deepened concerns in Ukraine and among European powers that Russia's core demands on NATO, territory and the chronology of any peace deal had been accepted by Washington, Reuters reported.

The European plan significantly changes the meaning and significance of key points on NATO and territory, according to a copy seen by Reuters.

"The European plan, at first glance... is completely unconstructive and does not work for us," Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that US proposals for peace in Ukraine could be the basis of a resolution of the conflict but that if Kyiv turned down the plan then Russian forces would advance further.

Poland charges Ukrainian with Russia-backed railway sabotage

A Ukrainian man has been charged over allegedly assisting in a Russia-backed operation targeting Polish railways.

Poland previously called the attack, which took place on a track 80 miles from the Polish-Ukrainian border used to deliver aid to Ukraine, an “unprecedented act of sabotage”.

Two others were previously charged earlier this month.

Zelensky ‘could visit US this week’ as Trump races to seal Ukraine peace deal by Thanksgiving

Volodymyr Zelensky may travel to the US in the coming days as Ukrainian and American officials work to secure a peace deal before Thanksgiving on Thursday.

The trip is dependent on how negotiations between US officials and their Ukrainian counterparts in Geneva are perceived to have gone, Ukrainian and US officials told CBS News.

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the talks in Switzerland had been “meaningful” but warned the two sides were still apart in terms of reaching a final agreement.

Tom Ambrose reports:

Zelenskiy could visit US later this week in attempt to seal peace agreement

Thousands without heating as Ukraine launches drone attack deep inside Russia

The Shatura Power Station, located approximately 120 km (75 miles) east of the Kremlin, was hit early on Sunday, Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed.

Video footage on Telegram showed balls of flames and black smoke rising into the night sky from the power station. Reuters was able to confirm the location, though not the date of the video.

Thousands without heating as Ukraine launches drone attack deep inside Russia

As Trump bends to Putin’s will again on Ukraine, it is time for Europe to go it alone

It may feel like a rip in the time-space continuum. On one side of the tear, there’s a universe in which America is run by a wannabe king who uses the invasion of an ally as an opportunity for profit, who lies, cheats and backstabs his friends. On the other stand America’s closest comrades, insisting that Washington’s a force for good.

There is only one reality, and it is time to confront it.

America is no longer the leader of the West, let alone the rest of the world. It’s got the biggest armed forces. It has the biggest economy and the widest cultural reach the world has ever seen. But its democracy is collapsing, and it has been captured by a cult of ignorant grifters.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:

As Trump bends to Putin’s will again on Ukraine, it is time for Europe to go it alone

In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone stroke on Kharkiv

Only Trump wants Putin in G8, says Germany's Merz

Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that only President Donald Trump would like to see Russia in the G8.

“At the moment, I cannot see that among the six members of today’s G7 who are not America, there is a willingness to readmit Russia to this group,” Merz said on Monday.

Russia was excluded from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea.

How Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine has been entirely dictated by Putin

He let the performance play out. Donald Trump would give the impression of independence from the Kremlin, threatening sanctions on Russian fuel importers and muttering insults, but, in the end, Vladimir Putin has snapped the puppet strings tight, and the US president is again dancing the Moscow jig.

It is a desperate but effective move by Moscow to dominate the terms of discussion over a war Russia cannot win.

Sam Kiley reports:

How Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine has been entirely dictated by Putin

This is Europe’s counter-proposal for peace in Ukraine – with several key changes to Trump’s plan

Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the war in Ukraine came as a shock to Kyiv’s international backers after 10 months of trying to negotiate careful compromise.

The 28-point plan seems to cater to Russia’s hardline positions, offering Ukraine very few of the security guarantees it says it needs to ensure a lasting peace.

Britain, France and Germany were left out of the conversations that produced the US proposal for peace but within hours, the E3 nations had pulled together a counteroffer.

James C Reynolds reports:

This is Europe’s counter-proposal for peace in Ukraine – with changes to Trump’s plan

Trump hints at 'big progress' in Ukraine-Russia peace talks update

President Donald Trump has issued an update on peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

In a post on Truth Social, the American leader wrote on Monday: “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

United Europe key to 'good outcome' for Ukraine, says Costa after speaking with Zelensky

"Spoke with Zelensky ahead of this morning's informal EU leaders' meeting on Ukraine peace efforts, to get his assessment of the situation,” Antonio Costa, president of the European Council wrote in a statement on X/Twitter on Monday.

“A united and coordinated EU position is key in ensuring a good outcome of peace negotiations - for Ukraine and for Europe.”

Moscow lifts restrictions on flights after downed drone

Russia has lifted temporary flight restrictions on Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports after air defences downed a Ukrainian drone en route to Moscow on Monday.

Three airports serving the capital were forced to restrict all incoming and outgoing flights in response.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency services were working at the scene of the downed drone, in a statement.

The restrictions were introduced and quickly lifted after the operation.

Ukraine looking for compromises that will 'strengthen not weaken' it, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined his expectations for Ukraine as negotiations appear to advance ahead of EU talks on a peace deal with Russia on Monday.

“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us,” he said.

He added that the use of frozen Russian assets was crucial to talks and accountability was necessary.

“Right now, we are at a critical moment,” he said.

“There is a lot of noise in the media, and all the political pressure, and even greater responsibility for the decisions ahead.”

Sweden says Ukraine's borders cannot be changed 'by force' for peace deal

Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force if a lasting peace is to be achieved, Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Monday ahead of EU talks on a potential peace deal.

Stenergard said that limitations could not be imposed on Ukraine’s military capacities, preventing it from defending itself against the threat of any future Russian aggression, according to Reuters.

Trump’s Ukraine peace plan will make it a ‘juicy target’ for a fresh invasion by Russia, says ex-MI6 chief

Donald Trump’s peace plan to end Russia’s war with Ukraine would reduce Ukraine to Russia’s "tethered goat", according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Alex Younger said the US president’s proposal was "lopsided" in favour of Russia and would "almost guarantee" another invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.

It was time for European countries stop “dithering” and stand shoulder to shoulder with Volodymyr Zelensky to prevent this happening.

Sir Alex, head of MI6 from 2014 to 2020, told Radio 4's Today programme: "We should be under no illusion: the original proposals are lopsided, essentially Moscow talking points, that would render Ukraine a tethered goat, a juicy target with little chance of defending itself."

The plans would "almost guarantee the war would restart because Russia would have engineered weakness that it would be bound to try to exploit".

Sir Alex said it was "obvious" that Zelensky could not agree to such terms, instead it should be used as a "negotiating framework".

Trump’s plan was "an attempt to stop the killing, and that is good, but we have to make it less lopsided," he argued.

“In the end it is about an Ukraine that is sovereign and can defend itself and that is much more important. The idea that Ukraine’s army is limited to the point that it cannot defend itself is an absolute non starter.”

It was “Europe’s moment to stand up and show some leadership,” said Sir Alex.

“There is a critical weakness in the US approach: it appears to uncritically accept that Russia is winning,” he said.

This analysis was wrong, he claimed. “The answer is more pressure on Russia not less.”